Texturized dental flosses are used by persons who have large inter dental spaces and who have bridges and various dental prosthesis. The texturized flosses have a greater diameter and are more effective in removing food debris and other material from large inter dental spaces, from under bridges and from around various dental prosthesis. The larger diameter and the fibrous nature of the flosses provide a good cleaning action. These texturized flosses are used in many instances in conjunction with a conventional multifilament floss or a tape floss. The filament floss or tape floss is used to remove food debris and other material from between the tighter inter dental spaces. The use of both flosses provides for a good cleaning of all inter dental spaces, bridgework and other prosthesis prior to tooth brushing. A tooth brushing with an antiplaque, antitartar, antibacterial or other dentifrice completes an effective regimen of oral care.
The state-of-the-art of texturized flosses is exemplified by the texturized flosses and the methods of making these flosses as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,727, U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,297 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,824. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,727 there is disclosed a texturized floss that has intermittent texturized portions and string portions. A similar texturized floss is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,827. This texturized floss likewise has texturized portions and string portions. Each of these patents discloses a coating process where by the selective use of tension texturized and non-texturized portions are formed. This method for making texturized flosses with texturized portions and non-texturized portions is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,297.
These prior art texturized flosses are available in various set thicknesses. However, due to the coatings on the texturized material, and the intermittent threader and texturized portions, the flosses overall are quite rigid. These texturized flosses can be in a continuous strand or in separate lengths and usually are in separate lengths. The threader portion is a stiff narrow diameter portion. The texturized floss portion will have a larger diameter portion which is a brushing portion. The thickness of the texturized portion is set in a narrow range for each floss size. However, it is desired to have a texturized floss where there the thickness changes during use and with tension. The floss then can be used for a wide range of interdental spaces.
This new floss in the initial relatively narrow cross-section can be fitted into narrow interdental spaces. As a water-soluble coating on the floss dissolves, the floss strand will decrease in length to a more relaxed state and increase in the cross-sectional dimension. This aids in the flossing since there will be a greater contact with the teeth surfaces in the interdental spaces. There is provided a texturized floss that is easy to insert into tight interdental spaces, and which during the flossing operation expands to fill the interdental space for enhanced flossing.